Clemmonsdogpark Comics: Prefixes in TOEFL Vocabulary, Part 1

Understanding prefixes on the TOEFL– beginning parts of words that have special meaning– can help you really master TOEFL vocabulary. In this series of posts, we’ll do a careful study of some prefixes that are common on the exam.

Each prefix will come with a short Clemmonsdogpark Comic that shows the prefix in context. After the comic, you can then see more examples of the prefix in use, as it might appear in different parts of the TOEFL.

Prefixes in TOEFL vocabulary: over-

On the TOEFL, the prefix over- usually means “too much,” as seen in the comic below. Over– can also sometimes mean “dominating or controlling,” or “at a physically higher place.”

TOEFL examples of the over- prefix

In a TOEFL lecture from an English literature class
Now, Faust was a German folktale chracter. But he really resembled the tragic heroes of Greek mythology. Faust had a tragic flaw– he was overambitious— and this flaw led to his downfall as a hero.

In a TOEFL Reading passage
The Great Depression, an economic disaster that took place in the United States from the late 1920s to early 1930s, happened in part because stocks were oversold. Panicked investors sold their stocks in too great of quantity, at artificially low prices.

In a conversation track from TOEFL Speaking Task 3
Did you hear about the new overpass the city is building? It sounds like it’ll make it much easier to get downtown from campus!

In a lecture from TOEFL Integrated Writing
The passage criticizes Kurt Vonnegut’s books… basically for being too negative. The writer argues that Vonnegut’s novels had strong overtones of anger and sadness. While it’s true that Vonnegut was known for his dark comedy, there’s a lot of optimism and cheer in his humor too.

The takeaway

Notice that over- can appear in a lot of different contexts. It can also be part of just about any grammar form. In this post, we see the over- prefix appearing in nouns, verbs, and adjectives; over- is possible in other grammatical contexts as well.

Knowing this prefix can help you understand TOEFL vocabulary across many different subjects, and in a wide range of grammatical uses. In fact, you were probably able to guess the meanings of any unfamiliar re- words you saw in this post, based on your knowledge of this prefix.

About David Recine

David is a test prep expert at Clemmonsdogpark. He has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has been teaching K-12, University, and adult education classes since 2007 and has worked with students from every continent. Currently, David lives in a small town in the American Upper Midwest. When he’s not teaching or writing, David studies Korean, plays with his son, and takes road trips to Minneapolis to get a taste of city life. Follow and !

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